You can transform your home into a warm, cozy, and heavenly-smelling space with just a match strike. On top of the stash of candles, lighters, and candle holders, the other accessory you need to complete the experience is a candle warmer. But, how much electricity does a candle warmer use?
Candle warmers do not use a lot of electricity, they consume between 0.014 kilowatts and 0.025 kilowatts every hour. The average residential electricity rate is $0.13 per kilowatt-hour. Therefore, if your candle warmer consumes 0.014 kilowatts, its total energy cost every hour would be $0.00183. That will be $5.31 if you use it for 8 hours every day.
As much as candle warmers use electricity, they use considerably little of it compared to most appliances in your home. They are a safer alternative to having an open flame burn your scented candle and boast many other physical benefits.
If your household is eco-friendly, you may be concerned about how much using an electrical candle warmer will impact energy consumption in your home. Let’s find out more about consumption and how you can save electricity while using candle warmers.
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How do Candle Warmers Work?
There are two types of candle warmers: lamp style and a hot plate warmer.
The lamp-style warmer heats the candle from the top using a small bulb, while the hot plate warmer heats the candle or wax melts from the bottom using a hot plate.
While the hot plate is the most popular, the energy consumption rate is not different from the lamp style.
Are Candle Warmers Safe to Use?
Safety is one of the benefits of candle warmers. Lighting a candle’s wick and burning them using an open flame is risky. Due to the absence of flames and wicks, they are safer than burning regular candles.
While this is the case, there are still some safety rules to follow when using candle warmers to prevent accidents.
How to Save Electricity When Using Candle Warmers
Candle warmers are energy efficient as they consume energy minimally. They are not energy guzzlers like most appliances. However, the meager electricity costs add up; there are ways you can still save electricity.
1. Get A Model with Low Wattage
Candle warmers come in various styles, designs, materials, shapes, colors, and wattage. If you want to save some money on electricity at the end of the day, choose an appliance with low watts.
They consume anywhere from 10 to 25 watts. While the electricity consumption per hour may not significantly differ in the appliances, it will add up in the long run. For instance, you buy 10 watts warmer and use it every day for 8 hours.
The appliance’s consumption every hour would be 0.01 kilowatts. Suppose you use it for 8 hours every day at a residential electricity rate of $0.13 per kilowatt-hour; your annual investment will be $3.8.
Suppose you purchase a 25-watts warmer and use it daily for 8 hours; it will attract an electricity cost of $9.5. The higher the watts, the higher the energy consumption.
2. Reduce the Amount of Time the Warmer Is On
If your candle warmer is on for 12 hours every day, electricity usage will be higher than when used for 8 hours. The candle throw may last for more than 24hrs; therefore not necessary to use it every day. You can keep your candle warmer on anywhere between 4 to 10 hours.
Leaving it for a longer period will increase electricity consumption and is a safety hazard. Staying on for long periods could lead to overheating, electric wire damage, and a trip hazard.
3. Buy Models with Reliable Temperature Timers and Regulators
You can control energy consumption by controlling the amount of time the warmer stays on. Some models have automatic timers which shut off at premediated times. This allows you to leave the candle warmer unattended with no worries of accidents and saves energy.
Regulating the temperature also reduces the amount of electricity used per hour.
4. Get the Right Candles for The Respective Rooms
The surface area of a candle will determine if the candle will create a good scent throw. Get candles that are capable of efficiently scenting your room. For instance, candles with larger wax pools are ideal for bigger spaces like the living room.
Smaller candles of 2-6 oz. will better scent smaller rooms like the bathroom. If you get the wrong candle size, you will be forced to keep the warmer on longer. Getting a candle size that suits the size of the room will save electricity.
Using candles that have lasting fragrance is a trick you can also use to reduce the frequency of using the candle warmer. The stronger the lasting fragrance, the less you will need to melt the candle, lowering energy consumption.
5. Clean Your Candle Warmer After Use
While cleaning melted wax from your hot plate candle warmer may seem like a nightmare to most people, it is the best way to keep it working effectively. More so, it is fairly easy to clean. You have to wait for the wax to cool and remove it when it hardens.
Leaving the wax on the surface of the warmer results in a build-up that cannot produce scent anymore. If you are using a hot plate candle warmer, the scentless wax will have to burn first before the heat reaches the fresh candle. It interferes with the appliance’s operation and will take more time for the warmer to scent a room to your satisfaction.
Final Thought
Candle warmers are eco-friendly as their electricity consumption rate is significantly low and not comparable to most electrical appliances at home. While they are already energy-efficient, there is more that homeowners can do to cut back on their electricity consumption.
Choosing a model with low wattage, reducing the amount of time the warmer stays on, and controlling usage with a timer helps reduce the warmer’s cost. Candle warmer best handling practices like cleaning after use ensure optimal operation and energy efficiency.
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